1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mismating-free connector assembly, and more particularly to a mismating-free connector assembly for properly and quickly connecting a tank, which stores a liquid such as petroleum products, industrial chemicals, coatings and the like therein, with a hose for drawing such liquid from the tank.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known in the related art is a method shown in FIG. 3, wherein a socket 50 is mounted on a front-end portion of a hose (not shown), and detachably connected with a plug 52 of a tank-side connector 51 provided in an upper surface of a tank (not shown), so that the hose is detachably connected with the tank. In this case, in order to guide a user to a proper selection of the tank (i.e., the kind of liquid stored therein), a plurality of key projections 53 are provided in an outer peripheral surface of the plug 52 at predetermined angular intervals so as to correspond to the kind of liquid stored in the tank. On the other hand, the socket 50 is provided with a sleeve 55, which is provided with a plurality of key grooves 54 in its inner peripheral surface at predetermined angular intervals so as to correspond in angular position to the key projections 53 of the plug 52. Consequently, in coupling or mating operation, the key projections 53 of the plug 52 are aligned with the key grooves 54 of the socket 50.
In this case, it is necessary for the user to confirm the position of each of the key projections 53 and the key grooves 54 through his own eyes each time the plug 52 is coupled or mated with the socket 50. Consequently, in case that the plug 52 is projected from an upper surface of the tank or tank-side connector 51, there is substantially no problem in coupling or mating them. In contrast with this, when the tank-side connector 51 itself is embedded in the tank so as to be disposed beneath the upper surface of the tank, or when the plug 52 is received inside the tank-side connector 51 so as to be disposed beneath the upper surface of the connector 51, it is hard for the user to confirm the position of each of the key projections 53 and the key grooves 54 through his eyes.
As described above, up to the present time it has been impossible to apply the method for coupling the socket with the plug by aligning in angular position the plug's key projections with the socket's key grooves to any connector assembly of the type having the tank-side connector embedded in the tank or of the type having the plug received inside the tank-side connector.